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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: cap · ground · content · bowl · coach · pop · bulb · temple

  1. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. ground — the earth
  3. content — happy
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. ground — crushed
  6. content — the amount
  7. bulb — for light
  8. ground — a position
  9. pop — soda
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. cap — a hat
  13. bulb — for light
  14. cap — a lid
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. pop — music
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. pop — to visit
  22. cap — of ice
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. coach — pulled by horses

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com